Wild Mushroom and Bison Stew

Bison meat and wild mushrooms give this stew rich flavor—but beef and button mushrooms work just as well. Jennifer McGruther

Serve this robust and deeply flavorful mushroom stew over mashed root vegetables for a simple, warming autumn supper. While wild mushrooms, such as chanterelle and boletes, give the stew an extraordinary, rich flavor, you'll find that it’s equally good when made with the button mushrooms you can find at your local grocery store. If you can’t find bison stew meat, beef stew meat makes a fine substitute.

Serves 6

• 1 pound bison (or beef) stew meat
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces bacon
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 4 medium garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 1 pound mushrooms, quartered
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 4 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh marjoram

Dump the stew meat into a medium mixing bowl, then add the flour, salt, and pepper. Toss the meat in the seasoned flour until uniformly coated. Set it aside while you prepare the other ingredients.